Elizabeth Cureton, of Fredericktown, Missouri, and Colie Weigand, of Warrensburg, Missouri, topped the Laredo Conversions #10 class, sorting a flawless 40 head in 224.86 seconds over four rounds at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, for a $16,028 winners check.
The win was a first for both riders, who ride together often at home in Missouri and travel to shows as a pair.
A Perfect 40
Cureton and Weigand came into the championship round sitting fifth, with 30 head already banked and a stacked field closing in.
“The game plan was to just take what they could give us, get a cow clean, get one out at a time, and then just get a time,” Weigand said.
Cureton, who watched the draw closely, knew two head in particular were giving every team trouble.
“We’ve just got to watch the No. 8. Let’s make clean cuts,” Cureton told Weigand going in.
The plan held. Cureton and Weigand worked past the 8 and picked up the final 10 head clean, finishing with a perfect 40. Weigand said the climb up the leaderboard took a toll before it paid off.
“It took a lot of pressure, and it took a lot to get back to each round,” Weigand said of navigating the class, which ran more than 670 teams.
A Goal Realized
A year earlier, Weigand seized a second-place finish at the World Finals, and she set her sights on getting back to the top.
“Last year, me and a different partner got second in the #4,” Weigand said. “And I said I’m going to come back and I’m going to win it. And here I did.”
Cureton had her own near misses to shake off, too. Last year, she said, she climbed into the top 11 in several classes but couldn’t close it out.
“We could get to the second and third round, and we would just be right out of it,” Cureton said. “There’s a lot of tough competition here.”
Catty: A Steady Partner from the Start
Cureton rode WS Catty Playtoy (Catty Hawk x Peptos Playtoy 005), an 11-year-old mare. She bought the mare from Galloway Performance Horses about a year ago and brought her to the World Finals for the first time last year before returning in 2026 for the win.
“She’s quick, and she goes in the herd really smooth,” Cureton said. “She’s kind of all around. She works the gate really good. She’s just a very nice horse.”
A Grandfather’s Horse, a Perfect Fit
Weigand’s own young horse wasn’t quite ready for the big pen, so Weigand rode her grandfather’s mare, registered as CD Chica Sabi Catt (Sophisticated Catt x CD Chica Sabine, by Peptoboonsmal).
“He said, ‘Get on this horse and ride this horse, my horse,’” Weigand said. “He said, ‘Keep your hands down and just let her work.’”
The redheaded mare turned out to be exactly what Weigand needed.
“She’s a fire-breathing dragon. She’s got lots of go to her,” Weigand said. “He said, ‘You need something that’s going to go.’ And she’s going to go, and she’s going to give you her heart every time.”
Weigand’s grandfather, Dan Weigand, runs Machine Shed Arena, at the family’s home arena in Warrensburg, Missouri, where he’s taught both Weigand and her sister to ride and sort cattle.
“He’s done everything for me. Ever since I was a little girl, he’s trained me—how to sort, how to ride,” Weigand said. “He’s gave us some pretty good horses, pretty good lessons for us to both be here. I couldn’t be here without him.”
#10 HC — 2026 World Finals Champions
| Champions | Elizabeth Cureton (Fredericktown, Missouri) & Colie Weigand (Warrensburg, Missouri) |
| Winning run | 224.86 on 40 head |
| First-place payout | $16,028 |
| Total class payout | $64,080 |
Top 10 Payouts
| Place | Team | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth Cureton / Colie Weigand | $16,028 |
| 2 | Bodee Kruger / Bronson Kruger | $11,270 |
| 3 | Jose Ponciano Sanchez / Sara Holston | $8,064 |
| 4 | Sadey Rasmussen / Cayson Spencer | $5,512 |
| 5 | Kim Christy / Jennifer Marshall | $4,684 |
| 6 | Eduardo Leal / Felipe Devides | $3,858 |
| 7 | Trent Knight / Paisley Weigand | $3,306 |
| 8 | Gabriel Graciani / Jose Ponciano Sanchez | $2,756 |
| 9 | Emily Sperle / Kim Christy | $2,204 |
| 10 | Hannah Johnston / Faith Maddox | $1,928 |
